Palestinian flags fly in May 1 marches

Istanbul. Workers, activists and others around the world took to the streets Wednesday to mark May Day with protests against rising prices and calls for greater labor rights. Pro-Palestinian sentiments were also present.

GALLERY: The world clamors for better working conditions during Labor Day marches

Police in Istanbul used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse thousands of people who tried to break through a barricade and reach the important Taksim Square, defying a ban on celebrating Labor Day there. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the social network X that at least 210 people were detained.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has long banned demonstrations in Taksim for security reasons, but the square has symbolic value for unions. In 1977, unidentified gunmen opened fire at a Labor Day celebration in Yaksim, causing a stampede and 34 deaths.

This Wednesday, a small group of union representatives were allowed into the square to lay a wreath at a monument to the victims.

Labor Day celebrates workers’ rights and is also an opportunity to express economic grievances or political demands. “Let the rich pay taxes,” said a banner in Germany. “Don’t touch the eight-hour day!” said another in Sri Lanka.

In Athens, several thousand protesters joined marches as labor strikes disrupted public transport and railway services across Greece. The country’s largest union is demanding a return to collective bargaining after labor rights were harmed during the Greek economic crisis from 2010 to 2018.

Pro-Palestinian protesters joined the marches, waving a giant Palestinian flag as they marched in front of the Greek Parliament. Others held banners in support of American students protesting for the Palestinians.

“We want to express our solidarity with the students of the United States, who face a great repression of their rights and their just demands,” Nikos Mavrokefalos said at the march. “We want to send the message that workers say no to exploitation, no to poverty, no to high prices,” he added.

In Paris, thousands marched through the French capital, seeking improvements in wages and working conditions. Pro-Palestinian groups and anti-Olympic activists joined the march, chanting slogans in support of the people in Gaza.

A group set fire to some improvised Olympic rings to show their discontent with the Summer Games, which will begin in less than three months. French unions have warned of the possibility of a strike during the Games if the government does not adequately compensate people forced to work in the summer holidays.

Government authorities have not met with union leaders before the Olympics, said Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT union, one of France’s largest. “How do you expect things to turn out well if the authorities do not respond to our simplest demand?” she said.

In South Africa, pro-Palestinian protesters joined the May Day commemoration. In Kenya, President William Ruto called for an increase in the country’s minimum wage. In Iraq, protesters demanded better wages, the reopening of closed factories and an end to the privatization of certain businesses.

In Lebanon, pro-Palestinian protesters mingled with workers demanding an end to a dismal economic crisis. “Politicians do not feel the pain of the worker or the economic conditions,” said Abed Tabbaa.

In Indonesia, workers demanded protections for migrant workers abroad, as well as an increase in the minimum wage. They gathered amid police presence, chanting slogans against the new Job Creation Law and the relaxation of subcontracting laws during a march to Jakarta’s main sports stadium.

In Seoul, South Korea’s capital, thousands of workers chanted union slogans at the start of their march, whose priority, organizers said, was to criticize what they described as anti-worker policies pushed by the conservative government led by President Yoon. Suk Yeol.

“In the past two years, under Yoon Suk Yeol’s government, the lives of our workers have been plunged into despair,” Yang Kyung-soo, head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, said in a speech.

Union members condemned Yoon’s decision in December to veto a law to limit companies’ rights to seek compensation for damages caused by union strikes. The government has also promised to crack down on illegal strikes.

In Japan, more than 10,000 people gathered in Tokyo to demand wage increases to compensate for price increases. Masako Obata, leader of the leftist National Confederation of Trade Unions, said declining wages have worsened income inequality.

In the Philippines, hundreds of workers and left-wing activists marched to demand wage increases and job security, in the face of the significant rise in food and fuel prices. Riot police prevented them from approaching the presidential palace.